snuff

Etymology 1

Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch snuffen (“to snuff, sniff, snuffle”). Related to Dutch snuiven (“to sniff”), Middle Low German snûve (“pose, head-cold”), German Schnupfen (“head-cold”). The noun is probably from Dutch snuf (“snuff”), an abbreviation of snuftabak, snuiftabak (“snuff”). Related to sniff (compare Dutch snuffen (“snuff”), German schnupf (“snuff”), French schnouff (“junk”)).

noun

1. Finely ground or pulverized tobacco intended for use by being sniffed or snorted into the nose.
2. Fine-ground or minced tobacco, dry or moistened, intended for use by placing a pinch behind the lip or beneath the tongue; see also snus.
   Dry snuffs are often adulterated with quicklime, and moist snuffs, as rappee, with ammonia, hellebore, pearl-ash, etc. 1896, Universal Dictionary of the English Language
   […] most of the women dipped snuff and of course had a spit-cup in the house. 1937, Zora Neale Hurston, chapter 5, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, University of Illinois Press, published 1978, page 76
3. A snort or sniff of fine-ground, powdered, or pulverized tobacco.
4. The act of briskly inhaling by the nose; a sniff, a snort.
5. Resentment or skepticism expressed by quickly drawing air through the nose; snuffling; sniffling.
6. (obsolete) Snot, mucus.
7. (obsolete) Smell, scent, odour.

verb

1. To inhale through the nose.
2. To turn up the nose and inhale air, as an expression of contempt; hence, to take offence.
   January 29, 1625, Joseph Hall, Public thanksgiving for the wonderful mitigation of the late morality Do the enemies of the church rage and snuff?

Etymology 2

From Middle English snoffe, snuffe, of uncertain origin. Compare Middle Dutch snuf, snof (“snuff”), Dutch sneuvelen (“to die in battle”).

noun

1. The burning part of a candle wick, or the black, burnt remains of a wick (which must be periodically removed).
   If the burning snuff happens to get out of the snuffers, you have a chance that it may fall into a dish of soup.
2. (obsolete) Leavings in a glass after drinking; heeltaps.
3. (slang) A murder.
4. (attributive) A form of pornographic film which involves someone actually being murdered.

Etymology 3

From Middle English snuffen, snoffen, from the noun (see Etymology 2 above).

verb

1. To extinguish a candle or oil-lamp flame by covering the burning end of the wick until the flame is suffocated.
2. (obsolete) To trim the burnt part of a candle wick.
3. (slang) To snuff out; to extinguish; to put out; to kill.
   Too much of a coward to snuff myself Guess I'll just have to suffer myself 1985, J. G. Thirlwell (lyrics and music), “Enter the Exterminator”, in Nail, performed by Scraping Foetus off the Wheel
   A court yesterday rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of prohibiting same-sex marriage, snuffing hopes for marriage equality proponents to shortcut stalled legislative efforts. 2021-11-18, Coconuts Bangkok, “Thai constitution does not permit same-sex marriage, court rules”, in Coconuts Bangkok, Bangkok: Coconuts, retrieved 2021-11-18